Perfunctory Pestilence
by Just A Penniless Writer
Summary: There's something so safe and comforting about sharing responsibility. A look at the nature of expectations and routine. ItachiSakura
1. The First Part

**Perfunctory Pestilence  
**_Just A Penniless Writer_

**_Disclaimer:_** not mine.  
_**Spoilers:**_ Up to recent chapters in the manga... around 264  
**_Author's Plea:_** eh... Don't know where this will lead, but wherever it goes, it will be Itachi/Sakura. 6.22.05-edit

_**The First:** The Necessary Introduction_

Itachi took another look at his unconscious captive before closing his eyes with mute frustration. The entire situation had become unduly complicated. The girl should never have been an issue to begin with, let alone an opponent, let alone a hostage. Still, he could not pass up an opportunity given to him, regardless of Kisame's rather loud protestations against it.

For all his silent complaints at the unusual turn of events, the Uchiha could not deny the current of energy running through him for the first time in years. Challenges were few and far between, even with Akatsuki membership. Orochimaru, for all that even the Sannin was aware of his shortcomings when compared to Itachi, might have provided some entertainment had he not turned all his concentration on defeating Konoha and training Sasuke.

Suffice it to say, after so long without a serious threat to his life, Itachi was more than surprised to find what he sought in the mind of a pink haired girl.

For as long as he allowed himself to remember, he had sought power. Power was the great equalizer. Right and wrong meant nothing without power to back them up. He had been lucky, born a genius to an already very powerful family. Fate gave every indication that it was working in his favor, gifting him with great power, and he had exalted in that knowledge until he had discovered the truth. Fate was a bitch.

Still, that didn't mean he couldn't accumulate as much power as he could in the time he was allowed. Just because his life was doomed to end tragically short didn't mean he couldn't become the most powerful being he could. It was only then that he truly saw that everything in his life was holding him back from what he was truly capable of. He'd taken care of that with little hesitation.

However, power is useless without an opponent. Thus it was that he, good brother that he was, allowed Sasuke to live so that eventually he might have a worthy opponent that would spur him on to even greater heights.

Sasuke, as it turned out, would have been better off dead. For all that his little brother was a skilled ninja far ahead of his companions most of the time, he lacked that certain drive. There were still things he found sacred in the world other than the search for power. Because of that, Sasuke would never be able to defeat him.

'_But,'_ Itachi mused, '_he might still be able to give me some sort of challenge to break up the monotony of my life._' Since Saskue's defection to Orochimaru's side, Itachi had been looking forward to a new meeting. Surely the annoying snake man could teach the boy something useful.

It was part of what made this entire situation so humorous that the key to a relatively fair battle between the brothers had been in Konoha the entire time. Itachi, in his search for a challenge, had completely overlooked it. Sasuke, in his search for vengeance, had pushed the perfect weapon aside.

Of course, neither brother was really to blame for this. Who would have ever considered the girl to be such a perfect tool? Who would have ever imagined she alone would be naturally skilled with a way to defeat the undefeatable? Who could have possibly guessed that she, Haruno Sakura, could ever be so powerful?

He searched his mind for what little he had taken it upon himself to remember about her. Quite easily he recalled her medic-nin skills, and it seemed as if someone had mentioned she was being trained by the present Hokage herself. So, yes, she did have some power.

But he was Uchiha Itachi. His defeat would require a bit more than above average chakra control. She had not been deemed a challenge, and thus, he had completely bypassed her in favor of her far more obvious teammates.

The kyuubi container did give him something challenging occasionally. However, until the kid learned to tighten his moves and expand his repertoire, he was little more than an irritating mass of annoying, stamina-strengthening chakra. The kid could really take a beating.

Their sensei… well, fighting Kakashi was always something he looked forward to in a rather offhand way. However, it was also always a let down. Anything his fellow sharingan user had improved or perfected was shown up quite easily. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the effort Kakashi put into their battles… it was just disappointing.

Sasuke… there was not much he could say about Sasuke. His emotions always got the better of him, and Itachi had the distinct feeling that he would never see his little brother at his best purely because of the intense hatred he had planted in him.

Whenever he had previously come across the girl, she had been content to remain to the side, helping people out of illusional techniques and cleaning up the mess when all was over. He'd never had the opportunity to truly see her in action, and, before now, he'd never had the urge to.

He supposed it was Fate's will, a gift from the All Powerful, that he had come across her. From what he could tell, she had been returning from a long stay in the Hidden Sand Village where she was part of the medic team taking care of a still weakened Gaara. A year after the demon's expulsion from the Kazekage's body, and the boy was still weak. It would almost be sad if Itachi had the inclination to care at all. He supposed he was fairly disappointed that someone who would have made a powerful opponent was out of commission, but then the insomniac brat had been defeated by Deidara so perhaps he wasn't worthy after all.

Which of course, only made the present situation all the more interesting. Why the girl and her ANBU escorts decided to pay him a visit, he did not know. The guards had been easy to dismiss. The girl, with her outrageous pink hair, bright green eyes, and decidedly non-ninja scream, had just been asking for his tsukiyomi.

He had known exactly how to torture her. Acknowledgement of her weakness was easily exploitable, and with images stolen from her own mind, he had begun mentally killing everyone she loved while she looked on helplessly.

It had worked perfectly, taking very little effort… until he had been blindsided. Suddenly, there were two of them, and while the one he remembered was still tied to the cross weeping like the scared little girl she was, the one loudly insulting him was overwhelming and psychotic.

The new Sakura proceeded to do what none before had succeeded in doing: throw off the technique by ruthlessly attacking him. There was good reason why the occupants of the tsukiyomi were kept emotionally or physically immobile: it took enough energy just to project without fighting every step of the way.

Of course, once they were both firmly back in the outside realm, it had taken less than a second to knock her out. She really was too slow to be anything truly special. Her skill set was rather limited. Still, when faced with the options of killing her, leaving her to whatever fate befell her, or investigating her odd gift further, he grudgingly spared her life and took her into his custody.

Kisame, upon finding Itachi somewhat rumpled (which was cause enough for shock) and carrying a pink haired girl, had instantly regretted leaving his partner alone to slaughter someone he perceived had insulted him.

"Unless that girl has a demon inside, they are not going to like this," the shark man mentioned indifferently after some time spent loudly demanding her immediate death.

Itachi remained silent.

"Who is she, anyway?" the annoying man continued, undaunted.

"A source of information."

"What information?"

"My defeat."

And that had been all Itachi had deigned to explain to his partner. Of course, one look made it obvious that the concept was far beyond the man's ability to comprehend. As smart as he was in technique and brutality, he really had but the faintest idea concerning higher motives such as Itachi's. The question plaguing him was so obvious, it almost caused Itachi to feel as if he might possibly, eventually be inclined toward humor.

'_Why not kill her if she knows how to defeat you?'_

It was a question every Akatsuki member would consider when they learned of the circumstances surrounding their unexpected guest.

* * *

**_AN:_** I can't fix mistakes if I can't see them. Drop a note if you see an error. 


	2. The Second Part

**Perfunctory Pestilence  
**_Just A Penniless Writer_

_**Author's Plea:**_ ...oops. I plead insanity. And if this chapter is confusing, its purposefully so. Patience is a virtue and all that rot. If you see anything that isn't canon compliant up to manga chapter 264-ish, let me know. While I did re-read a lot, it was mostly skimming to be completely honest.  
**_Disclaimer:_** Standard disclaimer applies.

**The Second Part**

He wasn't sure why he continued to watch her in these last few moments before she woke each morning. He didn't bother to question his motives. It was pointless, after all.

Ah, she was starting to unconsciously realize he was there. Were she a good little ninja, a real threat, she would have been aware the instant he had entered the room. Maybe she still would have been considered passable had she only sprung into action the minute she did realize there was another inhabitant of her precious, if borrowed, space. But instead she slowly came back to reality until she opened tired eyes.

It was only then that any action was made. In an instant, she recognized him, remembered what he was capable of, what he had done, and retreated to the corner of the bed farthest from him. Her absurd green eyes were bright with fear before she tried to regain her breath.

There was something so bothersome about this weak little girl that was capable of disarming his greatest weapon. But then, he was working on that. After all, it would do no good for the girl to die before she could be of any use to him.

"Are you ever going to stop that?" she asked grumpily, bringing his attention back to the situation at hand.

"Perhaps," he responded in his usual flat tone.

"Perhaps when?"

"Perhaps when your instincts are sharp enough not to be surprised."

She closed her eyes wearily in defeat, and he took that as his sign to leave. It was a ritual after all, a year long ritual they had formed, and it would do no good to stray now. The time for that was later this very day, and too many deviations from schedule would upset her. He knew from their time together that an upset Sakura was even more bothersome than before. As his intention was to keep her alive for a least some amount of time, he needed to keep himself from killing her out of irritation.

He knew it bothered her that she was far enough into her imprisonment that she actually had acquired a ritual, and that was just another reason to stick to it. It kept her clueless which was exactly how he needed her for now. Had she known exactly how much she meant to him, she might have taken upon herself to barter, which would have only resulted in her death. It seemed enough that she knew he had a purpose in mind for her, but knew nothing of the details.

It was disappointing that all that assumption and routine ended today. Soon she would know exactly why she had been captured and imprisoned when she should very well be dead. It might be interesting to see how she would react to that, but otherwise, his plans were fluid. Whatever happened, happened, and nothing else mattered if it did not improve him.

At the very least, he considered, she had provided him with a training dummy during their extended time together. Some days he had honestly attempted to improve her meager skills. Most days only started off that way. A vast majority of their sessions together left him mutely frustrated after holding back for several hours. Once he reached a certain point, he let loose, doing everything short of killing her. It was truly perfect that she was a medic and could heal her more serious injuries within the day. As long as he stayed clear of the vital organs, he found pummeling the girl under the guise of training to be quite comforting.

He wondered if he was becoming more like Kisame but dismissed the thought out of hand. No one could ever become like Kisame.

A few short minutes later, he returned to find her dressed in the clothing he had left for her and staring into the cracked mirror on the wall of her little room. Yet another routine he was aware of; he suspected she used a certain number of minutes each day to be suitably grateful for her continued existence. Perhaps for that undoubtedly precious time she questioned his motives.

Yet another ritual that would be changed by the events of the day.

She saw him then, not quite meeting his eyes and for that at least he was slightly proud. It proved she was smart enough to instinctively understand the danger presented there, even if she did have some protection against it. As he had yet to seriously test her strange ability, she was probably only aware of her advantage on a subconscious level.

Without the use of words or gestures, he communicated that it was time to go. He could tell by her rigid stance and tense features that she was already aware of the change in the routine, as she should have been.

The new wardrobe would have clued her in immediately. While her usual training attire allowed for free movement, it made the only asset she truly had, that of femininity, obvious to those who were interested. Though he could care less for her physique and most Akatsuki members were resigned to rare encounters with those of the opposite sex, there were plenty who would not hold back their desires with such an opportunity sharing their residence. The voluminous yards in the black attire hid her figure so that only her facial features and ridiculous hair gave away her gender. Still obvious, but it was something.

Upon reaching the door he knew she always watched but never approached, he could almost feel her attempting not to clutch his arm for safety. Such a ridiculous girl. Her nervousness was annoying if only because it was blocking him from effectively reading the chakras beyond the door. Perhaps something to sooth and prepare…

"They will not hesitate to kill you."

That he wouldn't stop them went unsaid, though part of him wondered what he wouldn't do to protect the opportunity she represented. However, this situation being a direct result of his protecting the opportunity she represented, he knew it was almost time to make a final decision in the matter.

He had hoped, as much as he was capable of hoping, that she would redeem herself in some fashion and make her usefulness a bit more obvious prior to this. That she was still inadequate would not do well for the case he was about to make. They could only accept his present excuse for so long, and disbelief was long past due.

He opened the door and accepted their fate.

"Itachi… your bait is idle. A year? One would think they would forget the girl by now."

The voice reached them even before the door could fully close. Still, though he knew many of the room's occupants were merely copies while their true selves were occupied elsewhere, including their illustrious leader, there was enough power and presence to make the threat known.

"Konoha does not forget."

"Still, Itachi… You train her, correct? Do you wish to die so badly?"

"I wish for challenge."

"And we do not offer enough of that?

His silence spoke loudly as the leader laughed lightly, madly.

"She is weak. She is a weak nin and weak bait. Dispose of her, Itachi."

"No."

"Is it her companionship you wish to keep? If so, tell us and we might concede."

"No."

"Then we will have to take possession of her ourselves. She will be made useful and then she will die."

"No."

"Our patience has ended. Use the girl or we will."

He mutely sighed before letting his eyes find the girl in question. Her fury and indignance at the proceedings were all but obvious. Very well. One more chance, perhaps. After all, what must be done will be done and let it never be said that he didn't understand the idea of sacrifice.

Turning on his heel, he strode out of the room, the girl dutifully following him. As soon as the door shut behind them, he began his orders.

"Change and pack. We must leave now."

Despite her anger, or perhaps because of it, she vanished with but the least bit of prompting, meeting him on the training grounds within minutes back in the casual training outfit that had grown so familiar to them over the last year.

"They are waiting to follow. Create a distraction."

"Why don't you?"

"It is your life they will end."

With a grumble, she tightened her gloves and gathered chakra into her fist. In the explosion that followed, he led away from the scene of destruction and silently thought that perhaps she wasn't as weak as he had assumed. Idly he wondered why she hadn't used such strength in the past and during their daily 'training' sessions.

He only hoped, as much as he was capable of hoping, that she would be worth all the trouble.

* * *


End file.
